 |
SK Telecom CEO Yoo Young-sang (Photo: Yonhap News) |
[Alpha Biz=Cha Hye-young] SEOUL, Oct. 17 — SK Telecom’s AI CIC (Company-in-Company), the company’s newly established artificial intelligence business unit, has come under fire after launching a voluntary retirement program just one month after its creation, with reports suggesting that some employees who do not apply may be transferred to regional offices.
The move has sparked internal backlash, with some employees criticizing it as a de facto restructuring targeting long-tenured, high-salary workers.
Established in September, the AI CIC integrates SK Telecom’s key AI businesses — including “A. (A dot)”, the company’s consumer AI service; A. Biz, its enterprise AI solution; AI data center operations; and global AI investment and partnership initiatives. The division reportedly comprises around 1,000 employees and operates with independent budgets and HR authority.
According to industry reports on Thursday, the AI CIC recently announced a “special retirement program” aimed at improving organizational efficiency and eliminating overlapping functions among previously separate AI teams. The notice stated that “job transitions and organizational changes” may occur as part of the integration process.
A telecommunications industry source said SK Telecom is accepting voluntary retirement applications from employees with more than five years of service, offering severance compensation equivalent to up to four years’ salary. Those who decline to participate may face reassignment to regional offices, according to internal discussions.
Some employees expressed dissatisfaction, viewing the move as a disguised downsizing effort.
In response, SK Telecom stated that participation is entirely voluntary, with no specific target number of retirees. The company explained that the restructuring is part of broader efforts to streamline operations, address staffing imbalances between headquarters and field operations, and reallocate personnel more efficiently.
In addition to regional reassignments, employees may apply for transfers to other business divisions, such as the mobile telecommunications unit.
The reorganization — including voluntary retirements and internal transfers — is expected to take effect by the end of this month.
When the AI CIC was launched on September 25, SK Telecom CEO Yoo Young-sang said during a town hall meeting,
“To seize the golden time for AI leadership, we must drive both internal innovation from the demand side and external innovation from the supply side. The AI CIC will serve as an elite, consolidated organization to strengthen the company’s AI capabilities.”
SK Telecom announced that it plans to invest approximately ₩5 trillion (USD 3.6 billion) in AI over the next five years and aims to achieve ₩5 trillion in annual revenue by 2030. Through AI CIC, the company seeks to build a self-sustaining AI ecosystem by connecting AI demand (B2C and B2B) with AI supply (infrastructure).
Alphabiz 차혜영 기자(kay33@alphabiz.co.kr)
